As a result of the recent fruitful exchange between Ric and myself, I decided to create this open thread that will allow--and hopefully encourage--the readership to ask questions related to what we do. Depending on the response and/or the number of postings, I will periodically close a thread and open a new one (e.g., QUESTIONS 2, 3, 4, etc.) Far from perfect, I know, but it will hopefully prove useful.
Remember that your inquiry will be posted as a "comment" to this introductory blurb. And, regrettably, there is no html allowed in the comments. If you would like to illustrate a particular point, feel free to email me the jpg, and I will use it to formulate my answer.
Fire away!
Augie
Hi Augie,
ReplyDeleteWhen sculpting/creating fine detailed items for figures like belt buckles, weapons, etc. what method do you prefer - "hard" carving using an A&B type medium or the more rubbery Duro type?
Thanks!
Ric
Hi Ric,
ReplyDeleteI am not an advocate of the rubbery poly-vinyl 2-part putties. That is not to say that I don't use them (e.g., Duro/Kneadatite, ProCreate), but I keep them around for very specific applications.
A critical characteristic of any epoxy putty that I use will be its "carvability" and surface hardness. At the one extreme you have Biggs A+B that will dull a tungsten-carbide bit in less than a day; at the other, the poly-vinyls.
As always, much will depend on the particular item and its relative exposure: is the item protected? Will the figure be handled and/or transported inordinately? Since you mentioned weapons, most of these can be made from sheet plastic or scrap resin sprues: either is superior to epoxy putties for durability.
As a rule, I will model an item such as a buckle, getting as close to the final shape and dimensions as possible while wet. 20-30 minutes in the oven to cure, and then I can finish the piece lightly scraping with a #12 blade. A light pass or two with ScotchBrite or #0 or 00 steel wool and it's on to the next item.
Hope this helps. . . and thanks for the question!
Augie
Hi Augie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice to my last query.
I have another one for you. When sculpting a bust of an actual person from history I would think that having as many liknesses of the subject as possible for reference, right? Now, I've observed some of your technique for starting a bust and it's my impression that you begin with a rudimentary skull of the subject in Magi-Sculpt and refine from there sort of like how forensic sculptors work with actual skulls to get a likeness of an unidentified person. We, however, have the advantage of working from photos, portaits, eyewitness descriptions and such. My question is, should one start with making the "skull" of the subject based on reference materials and THEN bring him to life? I'd like to do a young Alexander Hamilton at the time of the Battle of Yorktown and though there are several portraits of him I don't believe there is one of him as a young man so, I think stating with his skull would be logical.
One more thing, what is PUR?
Thaks!
Ric
Hello, my friend.
ReplyDeleteLast things first. PUR is Poly-urethane Resin. The type of resin used to cast most of our canvases.
Excellent question! Your assessment of my approach is largely correct; however, while I would love to be able to work from a scale skull of the subject, that would be unfeasible in virtually all cases. I have worked "from" skulls in a number of my pieces (e.g., Timur and Karl XII), but these were hi-res images of the skulls that were used to establish proportions, hard structures, evidence of trauma, etc. Since the soft tissue reconstruction is largely an artistic undertaking subject to any number of variables, we depend on period portraiture, descriptions, etc. to keep us on the right path.
Unfortunately, period portraiture, descriptions, and the like, are like cooking recipes: in a word, subjective. And that's where our eye, the amount of research we are willing to invest in a project, and our conviction comes into play. Having a working knowledge of how a face ages and the health of the subject at the time the portrait was executed is also invaluable.
Regarding Hamilton. There is a significant amount of extant portraiture of your proposed subject. Start off with looking at the Wiki article on him; then do an image search on Google. I always try to create a graphic chronology of the subject's life via his likenesses: study these closely and note the changes--discard the ones that appear to stem from artistic subjectivity, and keep the ones that capture the constant features. Hamilton is a good choice for a first portrait sculpt.
Hopefully this will provide food for thought, as well as further questions. . .
Standing by.
A~
Hey Augie,
ReplyDeleteDuh, I should have figured out what PUR was.
Thanks for the advice. I'm gathering Hamilton images as well as ARW uniform info.
I also have an idea for a small vignette of the 1st Rhode Island at the battle of Providence. They were a Negro unit created because RI couldn't meet the muster requirements. I've got some Negro heads by Hornet coming from Chuck.
Thanks again!
Ric